A group of British holidaymakers have been diagnosed with a gastric illness after they attended a family wedding at a five star resort abroad.
Around 24 people say they experienced vomiting, diarrhea and fevers after staying at the TUI Blue Sensatori Atlantica Aphrodite Hills Hotel in Kouklia, Cyrpus.
This includes Charlotte Warner, 29 and her partner Paul Richard, 40, who flew to the hotel on October 11 last year for the wedding.
Charlotte was fine until the last day of her two week stay, when she was suddenly struck down with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, fever and headaches.
She collapsed while going through the airport and when she returned to the UK, her GP diagnosed her with gastroenteritis.
Charlotte said: “I’ve never been so ill, but we knew we had to make it to the airport somehow.
“We didn’t know what we’d have done otherwise, particularly with our young son to care for.
“I was still ill days later and my GP said there wasn’t much to be done but keep hydrated.
“I literally couldn’t do anything for myself, I was completely floored.”
Charlotte says she saw food being left uncovered at the buffet and the same dishes being served on more than one occasion.
She also claims new food was added to old dishes and some items on the buffet appeared visibly undercooked or mouldy.
Charlotte of Brighton, East Sussex, added there was a number of flies and birds in the restaurant area and that wild cats would go on the tables.
The mom-of-one said: “The whole family had been looking forward to going away for the wedding and thankfully the big day itself passed off without a hitch.
“We’d all expressed concerns about the standard of food and hygiene at the hotel especially for a five-star hotel.
“We’d heard of others being ill, but we’d all seemed okay until the day we were due to come home.”
A 31-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man, who wish to be anonymous, also travelled to the hotel for the same wedding.
But the woman was so ill she missed her flight and was taken to hospital by an ambulance, who diagnosed her with bacterial gastroenteritis.
The marketing manager had to spend another two nights in another hotel before she was allowed to fly back home to Bournemouth, Dorset.
She said: “We’d really been looking forward to this trip, for the family wedding and as a chance for a two-week break in the sun with family and friends at a five-star hotel.
“It seemed a perfect combination but those last few days mean this is one holiday I’ll remember for the wrong reasons.
“When I got to the airport, I knew they wouldn’t let me on the flight, but by that point I was so ill that didn’t matter anymore.
“I was so scared and when the ambulance arrived, I feared the worst.
“It took weeks before I started to feel myself again.
“It cost £1,800 (about $1,966 USD) in medical expenses too but at least I’m here to tell the tale.
“I shudder to think what would happen if someone older or a child experienced what I did.
“Nothing can make up for what happened but the least I deserve is answers.”
Jatinder Paul, a specialist international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell has urged anyone who was staying at the hotel at the same time to come forward.
He said: “Our clients were all looking forward to a family wedding at a luxury hotel that was ruined when some of them were struck down with gastroenteritis at the end of their stay.
“The impact of these illnesses should never be downplayed, as there can be serious longer-term health implications.
“Understandably our clients have many questions on how they fell so ill.
“We’re now investigating their cases to secure the answers they deserve.
“If any issues are identified during our investigations, it’s important that lessons are learned to prevent other holidaymakers having similar experiences in the future.
“We understand that several other people at the hotel fell ill at the same time they did.
“As part of our investigations, we’d be keen to hear from anyone else who was staying at this hotel at the same time.”
TUI have been contacted for a comment.
